Passing on
by Sylla
Summary: His father did it, now it's Dante's chance. He'll finally be able to reach out and touch the tiny, fragile being they created... their child. [DantexLady]


_Okay, don't flame me for putting Dante and Lady together, I'm not really a fan of any of the pairings (well, I lie- I don't like Dante/Lucia. But aaanyway), I just think the idea of Dante having a child and being all nervous and stuff was cute._

_Sam Valentine asked me to join his C2 community, so this is for you Sam._

**Disclaimer:**_ I still don't own Devil May Cry. And I doubt that'll change anytime soon... or ever._

* * *

Dante flopped into the armchair, stretching his legs out in front of him. Not that he would ever admit it out loud, but he was absolutely exhausted. Not physically- he had gone through more strenuous exercise than this without even breaking a sweat- but emotionally. It was the stress of going through this... it was finally getting to him. He sighed.

Then he chuckled to himself. It was kind of funny, in a way. The 'Big Bad Demon Hunter Dante', wiped out by something as... commonplace as this. But then again... he supposed it was only natural to worry. Only human. He rested his head on the back of the chair and looked up at the white ceiling.

"You'd be proud of me, dad..." he murmured. Then he blinked. He sat up slightly, appalled at himself. _What the hell was that?_ He thought angrily to himself. _You're becoming softer by the minute. And what's with talking to dad right now... especially right here, in a freakin' hospital?_

"I'm sorry, sir?" a young nurse asked. Obviously she had heard him.

"Ah- nothing." he waved her away. _See?_

He sighed again, then lifted himself up from his chair. Grabbing his coat and Rebellion, he set off in the direction of the balcony. He needed some fresh air- the sterile atmosphere of this place was making the hair at the back of his neck start to stand on end.

After a moment's deliberation, he placed Rebellion in the holder on his back, instead of carrying it in his hand. Best not to frighten the civilians more than absolutely necessary. But there had been no way he would come in unarmed, especially not now. The hospital staff had been dubious about letting him take Rebellion with him- good thing he had opted for not taking Ebony and Ivory- but he had shown him his special government permit, and that was that.

He stepped out onto the large balcony, taking a deep breath and letting the cool night air wash over him. Several nurses had already advised him to go and get some sleep. Yeah, right. They had gently tried to tell them that really, there was nothing he could do. And that was one thing he didn't want to be reminded of. The very thought made him grind his teeth in frustration.

But really, he knew they were right. Apart from giving her a couple of gold orbs and a pain-numbing spell, all he could do was wait. And anyone who knew him knew that waiting, wasn't one of his strong points.

He huffed and rested his arms on the railing of the balcony. _Vergil was always the better one at waiting..._ He blinked hard. Why was he thinking about Vergil right now anyway? A wry smile hovered on his lips. _One big happy family. Or not._ But now it was his chance...

He was distracted by a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around to find a timid nurse, quite obviously awed by his imposing presence- that was something even humans could sense. Not to mention the huge sword strapped to his back.. He grinned indulgently.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"Erm- sir- you can come now..." a slow blush crept up her cheeks, but it was all but ignored by the demon hunter. He strode past her back into the white halls of the hospital. He barely slowed his pace indoors, only stopping when he had at last reached the doors of the room. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.

The lights were dimmed- was that a good sign? He had not a clue. But rather than stay and ponder over the lighting, his mind opted instead for wrenching his attention over to the bed.

Lady lay, hair spread out underneath her; exhausted but with joy shining in her eyes. In her arms she cradled a tiny bundle. _A tiny bundle of life._ With a hesitant smile, he padded softly over to the side of the bed.

"Hey." Lady smiled tiredly at him.

"Hey." he answered in kind.

Wordlessly, she offered him the tiny form in her arms. Noting with more than a little surprise how his hands were shaking, he took his child in is own arms. _So fragile..._ The baby opened its mouth in a soundless yawn, revealing the tiniest of fangs already poking through. Dante frowned slightly. He's have to do something about that.

"Careful with him." Lady cautioned softly.

"So, he's a boy then."

"That's what I just said. And be careful."

Dante chuckled slightly.

"I bet you could drop him right now and nothing'd happen to him." Noting the look of concern on Lady's face, he hastily added, "But... I'm not really in a betting mood right now."

He gave his- their- son back to Lady, and ran one hand over her silky black hair.

"He's beautiful." There was no disguising the pride in her voice.

"Yeah."

They had already decide what to call him in the event that he were a boy. Curiously, they had both suggested it at the same time. Dante placed one hand gently on their son's head, speaking his name for the first time.

"Vergil."


End file.
